After yesterday’s fantastic race, Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa were back on track today for the Official Post-Race Test.
Marc worked on electronics and mapping settings and tested a new Öhlins fork and the new front Bridgestone tyre, confirming the tyre felt safer and provided better feedback than the current one. This morning he tested the proposed new circuit layout which uses the tighter F1 corner at the end of the back straight as a possible safety change and agreed it would be better as riders are not so close to the wall. Dani’s test programme also included the new front tyre, front fork and mapping settings. He reported positively on the new tyre ‒even though he tried it when the track temperature was at it’s lowest‒ but unfortunately it seems it won’t be available until Sepang.
Marc was fastest for the day with his lap of 1’41.184 (just 0.049 off his qualifying time from Saturday) on lap 45 of 46. Dani finished the day seventh with a time of 1’41.969 on lap 18 of 61.
Marc Marquez >> Audio
“Today we carried out a lot of testing: from the electronics, to the bike setup, to a bit of suspension work. I have to say, I felt very comfortable ‒even more so than during the Grand Prix weekend. There were also a few things that didn’t completely work out, or that we weren’t expecting, but this is also useful for us when it comes to picking up ideas and directions to go in for the future. Now we have to get ready for the next race in Assen”.
Dani Pedrosa >> Audio
“Today we tested two different front forks and we also worked on the electronics setup and on a new front tyre compound. The tyre gave us good results and could be positive for us at some rounds this year, in conditions similar to yesterday’s Grand Prix, as it’s not too soft, nor too hard. The overall verdict of the day is positive, although we had already made the step forward between Mugello and Barcelona. Bearing in mind the new parts that could be tested out, we have managed to find a good feeling”.
